Expanding the scope of candidate prognostic marker IGFBP2 in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Unfortunately, it has a very poor prognosis and no cure. In a recent paper by Yuan et al. (Bioscience Reports (2019), DOI:10.1042/BSR20190045) RNAscope was used to detect insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) mRNA in glioblastoma biopsies. The study revealed that patients with high levels of IGFBP2 mRNA had shorter survival and that IGFBP2 transcript level was an independent prognostic factor. It is also of value to determine the prognostic effect of IGFBP2 on established biomarkers such as isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) mutations or telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutation. In the present study, the combination of having a TERT promoter mutation, and at the same time a high level of IGFBP2 mRNA, was associated with very poor survival rates. It was concluded that IGFBP2 predicts the survival of the patients with TERT promoter mutation. This finding may have important implications for glioblastoma prognosis. IGFBP2 re-emerges as a candidate biomarker and potential therapeutic target in glioma. Further research into its functional roles during glioma progression may provide additional insights into this deadly disease.